


golden ships (don't sink)

by leedotori



Category: Naruto
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Bullshit Politics, Courtship, F/M, Founding of Konoha, Gen, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Shinobi Politics (Naruto), Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:08:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25344469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leedotori/pseuds/leedotori
Summary: Hashirama was looking forward to renewing their alliance with the Uzumaki. He just didn't expect them to be just as eager — or even more.
Relationships: Senju Hashirama & Uchiha Madara, Senju Hashirama/Uzumaki Mito, Senju Tobirama & Uzumaki Mito
Comments: 8
Kudos: 20





	1. Arrival

**Author's Note:**

  * For [beyoncw](https://archiveofourown.org/users/beyoncw/gifts).



> Some bullshit politics and hopeless Hashirama. Enjoy!

Hashirama could hear his own heartbeat in his eardrums. His hands weren’t shaking, no, he couldn’t have such blatant display of nervousness, but he almost tripped over his white Hokage robes on the way out of the camp.

A couple of other Senju were near the shore, paying attention to something Tobirama was saying. It didn’t take long for them to notice his presence.

"Brother." A small nod of the head. "They’re almost here. It won’t take more than five minutes for them to get to the docks." 

The oldest of the brothers smiled. The weather was foggy, so they'd hardly be able to see a whale coming, let alone _a ship_. But his brother was a _sensor._ One couldn’t get him by surprise.

Not that he was worried about it. They had traveled very far from their home in the heart of Fire Country to welcome their honorable guests coming from a neighbouring land. He didn’t know exactly how many people were coming. The Uzukage would probably bring guards, some family members, servants… Yeah, maybe a lot.

"They’re not many." His brother said, as if he had read his mind. "All in one ship. No more than eleven. Don’t be nervous."

"Hey!" Hashirama protested. "I’m not _nervous_."

"Sure thing, brother." Tobirama knew better than to provoke his already anxious kin.

No matter how many years passed, it was always scary how precise his younger brother was. Five minutes had passed and a medium-sized ship was docking nearby. The boat was a light shade of brown and the spiral decorations seemed to be made of gold. Hashirama knew very little about boat architecture, but he was quite sure a ship would sink if it was made of gold. Probably.

The four Senju walked towards their newly arrived visitors as they left their definitely-not-sunk-although-probably-made-of-gold ship.

Once again, the head of the Senju was mortified by Tobirama’s accuracy.

Eleven people got off the ship: eight of them in shinobi gear and the other three were, he supposed, the head family.

Uzumaki Bōfūu was unmistakable. From his crimson hair to his cheerful smile, the Uzukage and head of the Uzumaki Clan — the biggest clan in the Whirlpool country — had changed very little from the last time they had seen him, so it was absolutely no surprise when the hug came.

"Sage of the Six Paths! Hashirama, you’ve grown so big!" He motioned his hand over his head to prove his point.

"Hello, Bōfūu-sama. Long time no see."

He didn’t get a proper answer as the man rushed to hug Tobirama (who looked like he really didn’t want to be there) just as hard.

"Look at you, Tobi! I bet you still have the same old frown."

As if on cue, Tobirama frown's deepened.

"Bōfūu-sama, don’t tease him too hard, we haven’t met in a while."

Hashirama heard a muffled chuckle coming from behind him.

He turned around in time to see a Uzumaki woman covering her mouth with the hem of her vests. Her hair was a slightly darker shade of red than Bōfūu’s and it was tied with hairpins in perfect twin buns. Her high-collared kimono was elaborate and elegant, in true Whirlpool fashion, colored in white and sea blue. It gave her a serene look, peaceful even.

Almost as quickly, she put on a serious face and her gaze met his. He knew those eyes. 

_Kunoichi._

"And you are…?" Hashirama, always the eloquent.

She raised her brows.

"And _you_ are…?" The Uzumaki kunoichi asked back.

Hashirama knew for a fact that there was absolutely no way she didn't know who the Hokage was.

It wasn't ego or arrogance. If his clothes weren't a dead giveaway, his crazy idea of creating a village with his sworn enemy — or at least that was how the story went, but he had been on very friendly terms with Madara for a while now, thank you very much! — had been a hot topic among the Elemental Nations, there was no way she hadn't heard about it. Plus, there was very little chance the Uzukage wouldn't inform his tripulation about _who_ they were meeting.

No, it was a _challenge_.

Hashirama _was supposed to know her_.

"Uzumaki Mito-sama." Tobirama's voice made itself present. He was finally free from Bōfūu’s grasp, as he was now pestering Tōka. "It's an honor to have the presence of the greatest fuinjutsu master of Whirlpool in our humble land." He bowed.

_Oh._

Uzumaki Mito. He was pretty sure he had heard that name before. Oh, Sage, he felt _so dumb._

The First Hokage bowed, following his brother's example. His ears were red in embarrassment. Why hadn't _anyone_ told him about some _greatest fuinjutsu master of Whirlpool_ coming? 

Mito didn't try to stop her laughter this time.

Off to a great start.

—

His younger brother looked proud of himself when Bōfūu’s wife praised the temporary camp they had set up in the beach. Shirayuri liked complimenting things, but they were never empty words. She told Tōka it was very astute of her to hide her kunai the way she did and praised young Daisuke's stance with a sword.

The Uzumaki were always good company.

Hashirama quickly learned that three of the shinobi that came along also had Uzumaki blood. The kunoichi's hair was the darkest shade of red, almost wine-colored, while one of the men had his hair in a light pink. The other one was blond.

They talked about trivial matters, the standard polite conversations leaders in diplomatic relations had, but with a hint of familiarity he didn't feel when talking to the Mizukage or the Raikage.

Tobirama and Mito were finishing the set up of a transportation seal, one strong enough to get them all to the Hidden Leaf Village in one piece, while the others helped with packing.

"You know, it's been a long time since we've been together like this." The Uzukage smiled.

"That's true."

"We, the Uzumaki and the Senju, are brothers in arms. We're united through our blood and through our legacy. We shouldn't be apart."

The Hokage nodded in agreement. Their clans were historically allies, although they couldn't see eye to eye during Butsuma's leadership. When Bōfūu wrote asking to renew their alliance, he didn't think twice about it.

"Yes, you're right."

"That's why, Hashi, this is very important to us. All of—" He was interrupted.

"Father, the seal is ready." The woman called Mito informed.

He waved at her, to let her know he heard it and began walking towards the group of shinobi already within the seal's area of activation. Hashirama followed him. 

"So, tell me, are you seeing someone? Anyone who catches your attention?"

He was taken aback by the question. He could definitely count on Bōfūu to be _that_ uncle.

The truth was, he hadn't been with anyone in years, if at all. His nightlife consisted of piles and piles of paperwork and the only person in his life other than his brother was the eternally stressed Madara. Dating Madara… Now, _that_ sounded like a nightmare.

"Not really. I don't have anyone right now." 

"Good!" 

_Good?_

"What do you think of Mito as your betrothed?"

If Hashirama's face didn't look surprised enough, then him tripping over his own two feet and falling face-first on the transportation seal definitely got the message across.


	2. Apology

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hashirama had been extremely rude to his guest and he had to make amends for it immediately. Mito didn't really mind what had happened, but she had to admit he was a bit intriguing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a POV switch! It starts with Madara's POV and then it switches to Mito's. I hope you enjoy the read!

It would be a lie to say Madara was even slightly surprised by the state Hashirama was in when he arrived with the Uzumaki head family and their escorts. His hair was a mess, his hat was crooked and his robes looked _wrong_. 

_How_ had he gotten in that state was another question entirely.

But he wasn't going to ask, no. He was exhausted.

Madara had spent the entire morning reviewing documents while the Senju brothers were out. There was a land dispute between the Hyuuga and Hatake Clans that he had somehow managed to settle, a war threat from the Aburame — something about the Leaf disrupting insect habitats — and a trade agreement with Tea Country.

Not only that, but peace treaties were slowly being made within Fire Country and with neighboring powers. They were in the middle of convincing the Akimichi Clan to settle in the Leaf when they hit a concrete wall. The Akimichi weren't particularly problematic, but the Nara and the Yamanaka came in a package deal and, man, were _they_ hard to please.

He had been staring at the damn document in his hands, but peace treaties weren't Madara's forte, so he would definitely leave that to Hashirama.

"Madara, I'm going to die."

He sighed. It's not like he wanted to _know_ what had happened but he'd have to hear it anyway because his best friend was an over-dramatic piece of shit.

"I swear to the Sage, I'm going to jump off a cliff." Hashirama went on.

He'd normally take the opportunity to mock the Senju, but he didn't have it in him after the huge pile of paperwork.

"What happened?" He asked, instead.

Hashirama stared at his own feet.

"You see… Bōfūu-sama is here."

"Of course he is." Madara frowned. "That's the whole reason why you traveled to the coast. By the way, shouldn't you be with him?"

"Tobirama is with him right now, but that's besides the point! He wants me to get married."

Madara finally took a moment to stare at him.

"You should've started from there." He put the paper down. "So what's the big deal? Your girlfriend's gonna be mad?"

The Hokage sighed.

"You know I don't have one."

A smirk.

"Yeah, so why exactly are you panicking? Is she ugly? Can't she _fight_?" He paused. "Now _that_ would be bad. Not sure if I'll support this marriage thing if she can't save her own ass."

"She is a very pretty lady!" Hashirama sounded defensive. "And I don't know if she can fight, but she is the greatest fuinjutsu master of Whirlpool, apparently."

The Uchiha whistled.

"You scored the Uzumaki Mito?" 

"You know her, too!?"

How was Hashirama the only clueless person here?

"Tobirama won't shut up about her and about how she would be able to help him finish his Floating Thunder King or something like that, yeah."

"You mean the Flying Thunder God…"

"Whatever." A pause. "But, wait, _you_ didn't know her?"

"I didn't! And I asked who she was. To her face!"

Madara laughed. It's not like it was something particularly offensive, but Hashirama was way too diplomatic for his own good. At least now he knew why he was so nervous.

"You must feel like you offended her."

The Senju was almost in tears.

"Madara…" He dragged the last syllable. "What do I do?" He sniffed.

"Well…" Madara made a dramatic pause. "You're gonna have to fix that."

—

Mito appreciated the view from one of the windows of the Hokage tower. The Hidden Leaf Village was surrounded by high trees and the grass that covered part of the soil looked soft. She couldn't remember seeing so much green at once during her entire life.

The village's construction was clearly still in progress. The road paths were rudimentary and some buildings didn't even have ceilings, yet. The houses that were already there were probably made with an Earth Release. This would never happen in her hometown, as Whirlpool people were proud of their intricate architecture.

The Hokage's face covering part of a mountain could probably be seen from anywhere in the village and it felt oddly comforting.

It was unlike any in the Eddy, but she wouldn't mind this being her new home.

She had been fully aware of the true nature of their visit. She was the one who had volunteered after all. The Uzumaki-Senju alliance was something that had to be revived for both countries' sakes and she'd gladly do anything for her people's safety. If she did manage to get along well with her future husband, it would be a nice bonus.

The Uzumaki wasn't sure yet about the nice husband part, but he was _intriguing_.

After the whole 'who are you' confrontation at the docks, he had tried to talk to her once already.

His hands were shaking as he handed Mito a flower bouquet with a nervous "I hope you accept it." The flowers were of a pretty purplish blue, bulb-shaped, and they had long, narrow, folded leaves.

Was he courting her already? That was way too fast, unnecessary, and, from the little she had seen of his personality, she expected him to at least go all out with the red roses and everything, if that was indeed trying to win her over.

It felt disappointing.

"Oh, my, what do we have here?" Her mother started talking as soon as she saw the flowers. "What has the boy done to you?"

Mito decided to ignore her mother calling the Hokage, founder and ruler of the Leaf, 'the boy' and wondered what she meant for a moment. As far as she knew, Uzumaki Shirayuri was born in a Fire Country clan called Haruno. The Haruno weren't warriors, but they were known for being flower merchants. Her mother could probably tell the species of any flower native of Fire Country by touch alone.

"What do you mean, mother?"

"Oh, you don't know?"

She grinned.

"Mom… I don't believe botanics is within the scope of my expertise."

Shirayuri chuckled.

"Of course not! You never paid attention when your grandmother tried to teach you about the magic world of flowers, did you?" Her hand reached a few tears that were forming in the corner of her eyes. "You were busy trying to set your dad's pants on fire using different seals."

Mito flushed.

"Mom!"

"I'm kidding! There's nothing wrong with having different interests. You know, when I was your age, I…"

"The flower, mom!" She interrupted, trying to avoid her mother's endless babbling. "You said you knew it?"

Shirayuri brought her hands together in excitement.

"He gave you a beautiful bouquet of hyacinths, my dear!" Shirayuri explained. "The last time I got those, your aunt had destroyed my favorite yukata. It means 'I'm sorry'."

So not courtship yet, but _an apology_.

A smile formed on Mito's face.

He was _very_ intriguing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I made Tsunade indirectly a Haruno, haha! I'm really not sorry. If you find any mistakes, please let me know!


	3. Smiles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hashirama was trying his best not to be like his late father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeey, it's been a while, but I'm back.
> 
> I took a more political approach here because I wanted to set up everything before the actual romance happens. I know it's taking a while and I'm very sorry about that! I'll try to tone down on the more worldbuilding-ish side of things in the future and focus on Hashimito, but don't worry!! I promise a lot of cool stuff is coming!!
> 
> Anyway, here's some insight on Konoha's diplomacy, Whirlpool and the arranged marriage. Also, two smiley idiots.
> 
> Merry Christmas!

Growing under Butsuma’s care — or the lack thereof  — shaped Hashirama’s mind in a way no one couldn’t even begin to comprehend.

Not that he was particularly inclined to share his late progenitor’s views on… Anything, really. Senju Butsuma was a heartless warmonger, hands tainted with the blood of countless children, Uchiha and Senju alike. He craved for military supremacy and held pride in continuing a pointless clan conflict that lasted way longer than it should have.

Hashirama liked to believe he hadn’t inherited those traits.

No, it was more than that.

Hashirama  _ made sure _ he hadn’t inherited those traits.

He knew war wasn’t the only way. He  _ knew  _ they could create something different. Even if Butsuma thought his dream to be worthless, The Village Hidden in the Leaves was something  feasible and he  _ would  _ make it work. He wasn’t a genius like his brother or blunt like his best friend. He definitely wasn’t rational like Tōka, Sage, he wasn’t even good with words like that one lady who convinced him it was a good idea to buy twenty tomatoes at once!

If he had, however, to pick something he was good at, it would be giving in. Not in a bad way, he thought. But he wasn’t prideful like most of his clansmen — like most of his fellow shinobi.

“We can’t give in to these stupid Nara!” Madara interrupted his thoughts. “They want a whole forest on top of the rice fields they already asked for? Are they insane?”

“They want a place for their deer, though,” the Senju supplied, unhelpfully.

“Their deer can go fuck themselves for all I care!”

Hashirama sighed.

Dealing with different clans was one of the hardest parts of being the Hokage. They were too different from each other, their cultures clashed constantly and their interests were all over the place. Once or twice, he felt the urge to meddle in clan business, but now wasn’t the time. The village was still unstable and keeping powerful shinobi from fighting each other was already hard enough. It didn’t help that the Uchiha and the Senju weren’t the only one fighting during the Clan Wars.

“The Nara lived in relative peace all this time,” Hashirama tried to explain. “They’re one of Akimichi’s vassal clans, so you can imagine how comfortable they must’ve lived all this time. They have secure food and water supply and barely participated in conflict. Coming to Leaf has to give them  _ something _ for them to want to be here in the first place.”

Madara furrowed his eyebrows.

“Aren’t they giving themselves a bit too much value, though?,” he asked.

“I mean… They  _ do  _ know about peace more than us. The Akimichi have a good number of allies and having them in our village would give us credibility.”

“So you want to give them all that?”

Hashirama laughed.

“Of course not! The Hyuuga would kill us in our sleep if we let a vassal clan join us with double the land they got. Plus, I don’t think they’re really expecting all of that.”

The Uchiha massaged his temples.

“You think they want to see if we’re serious.”

“Hmmm…,” he made a non-committal sound. “It’s likely. Maybe they want to know if we’re the real deal?”

“Maybe they want to know if we’re desperate.” Madara considered.

“Which we kinda are.” Hashirama was only half-serious.

“We aren’t!”

“We totally are!”

Madara slapped him lightly.

“What’s your solution, then?!”

“Maybe we should give them the forest,” the Hokage pondered. “For their deer.”

“And the rice fields?”

“Give the Akimichi noble status instead. It works for the most stubborn clans.” He teased.

“Hey! The Uchiha aren’t stubborn!”

“Yes, you are!”

The suggestion was only ten percent teasing, though. Giving the Akimichi noble status would give the Nara  — as well as the Yamanaka —  equal ground when comparing them to other existing clans in the village. If they were lucky, the three clans wouldn’t make any other demand.

“Still… Deals should be balanced. We’re not really in a position of advantage anyway.”

Madara huffed.

“What about your marriage, then?,” he questioned. “If we’re not in a position of advantage, I don’t see what they get from it.”

That was true. Hashirama wondered what was going on in Whirlpool, but he’d have to wait until evening to know what this whole marriage thing entailed. He’d think about it over lunch.

—

The Hokage Tower was, by far, the most exuberant building in the entire village. Not that it had much competition to begin with, but its five floors immediately caught people’s attention. His brother had suggested using the space to create a shinobi school in the future, so the many rooms would serve a purpose other than ‘making a statement’ — which was equally important —, as Tobirama had put it.

One of Hashirama’s favorite parts of the building was the kitchen-slash-cafeteria. Not that he was an avid eater or anything, but it was a good place to socialize, as it was open for the administration and for the people who were working in the construction of the village.

He grabbed a tray and served himself, his eyes looking around. Hashirama didn’t find it weird that Lord Bōfūu and his wife were already socializing with the locals, their smiles bright and genuine. He did, however, wonder where their kunoichi daughter was until he felt a light bump on his shoulder.

“I got your flowers.”

The Senju almost dropped his food.

“You did?”

She suppressed a laugh.

“Yeah. I accept your apologies. Can I join you?”

Hashirama smiled widely.

“Of course!”

Mito served herself and the two of them looked for a table, settling for an empty one near some plumbers.

“So… How do you like it here?”

She seemed thoughtful for a moment.

“It’ll be a nice home.”

He nodded politely. It was weird to think she’d have to live here from now on. They didn’t even have anything settled yet!

“I was thinking… I know you were the ones who asked for this marriage and, don’t get me wrong, it  _ is  _ something good for the village and within our interests.” Hashirama said. “I just don’t exactly see how it can help Whirlpool in any way. You’re a stable nation, both politically and economically. You have powerful shinobi. Is this really just for the sake of an old alliance?”

Mito took a bite of her food.

“Did you know we’re really good at sealing?”

Was she making fun of him? Okay, he hadn’t recognized her, the greatest fuinjutsu master of Whirlpool, at first, but knowing people there were good at sealing was basic knowledge.

“Yes, I do know that.”

“How much do you know about sealing?”

He stopped mid-bite to think. Very little, probably. He knew basic storage seals and explosive tags. If anyone knew about sealing, it would be his little brother.

“Not much, Tobirama is better than me.”

She nodded.

“Do you know anyone other than him who is good at it?,” she was serious.

Mito was probably better, but that wasn’t the point, he thought. Actually, very few people he knew could do even rudimentary seals, let alone be better than his brother. Sealing was something often related to Whirlpool for a reason.

He shook his head “no”.

“People aren’t very happy about that,” she explained. “We have too much knowledge and our existence is a threat.”

“You think you’ll be attacked.”

“We do have an advantage as an island. We’re surrounded by water and our sailing skills aren’t shabby. But one can do so much with limited manpower.”

It made sense. Whirlpool was isolated and had a limited population, having only one notable clan, the Uzumaki. The rest of its citizens were mostly clanless or from fisherman families. They could be easily overwhelmed by any other country’s army.

Hashirama brought his fist to his palm in a eureka moment.

“So marrying the Hokage would intimidate them!”

“Among other things,” she offered him a small smile. “But we should talk about it some other time. Actually…”

She looked for something in her pockets.

“The flowers you gave me were very pretty, so I wanted to give you something as well.”

Mito showed her palms, a conch shell over them.

“That’s…?” He was confused.

“It doesn’t have any special meaning like your flowers, but…”

She got closer, bringing the shell near his cheek, as if asking for permission to come closer. He nodded and she brought the shell close to his ear.

“It sounds like the sea!” He exclaimed, grinning.

She smiled back.

“I like bringing shells with me when I travel. They remind me of home. I always loved to collect them as a child.”

He placed his hand near hers, grabbing the shell.

“And you’re giving it to me?”

She averted her gaze.

“I happened to have brought two of them.”

A laugh.

“This is really nice of you,” Hashirama said, gently.

Mito showed the fullest laugh, this time without covering her mouth.

That afternoon, in a packed cafeteria, with half-eaten food on their plates and warm smiles, she looked beautiful.


End file.
